Luke Shaw suffers Man Utd injury setback to justify £25m transfer decision

Luke Shaw has suffered another setback on his long road back from injury at Manchester United.

England international Shaw has played just five times for United in the past 12 months, with constant setbacks blighting the peak years of his career. The left-back, 29, made three consecutive substitute appearances in new Red Devils manager Ruben Amorim's first three games as United manager before suffering a fresh injury which left him 'devastated'.

Shaw battled hamstring and calf injuries last year, briefly returning to action for England at Euro 2024. The 29-year-old was ruled out until the quarter-final stage before a pair of sub appearances earned him a place in Gareth Southgate's XI for the final.

It was four months before Shaw turned out for United and following his fresh injury blow in December, he described it as 'definitely' the 'toughest period' of his career. But having returned to first-team training just last week, Shaw is back on the sidelines.

It's emerged that the 29-year-old has suffered a minor setback while recovering from his December injury. Shaw will now miss Friday's FA Cup fourth-round tie at home to Leicester but United expect him to be back in training on Monday.

His absence has further justified Amorim and United's decision to sign Danish left-back Patrick Dorgu for an initial £25million on transfer deadline day. The Red Devils have also allowed second-choice left-back Tyrell Malacia to join PSV Eindhoven on loan.

Diogo Dalot has filled in on the left for most of Amorim's tenure, although Dorgu could make his debut on Friday. As for Shaw, he'll spend the weekend preparing to come back stronger.

"It is hurting a lot having to write this as I really thought I had got through my recent struggles and was on a positive path going forward, but unfortunately I've had a small setback," Shaw posted on social media following his injury in December.

"I've been through a lot and had a lot of ups and downs, but this has been my toughest period. I'm absolutely devastated and it's extremely tough to come to terms with reality at this time. I understand there's going to be people frustrated, angry, disappointed and I understand all that. There is no-one feeling that more than me at this moment in time."

Since making his professional debut for Southampton aged 16, Shaw has had 76 separate periods of absence, including for the double leg break he suffered playing for the Red Devils in 2015. In total, Shaw has been injured for 1,738 days of his senior career, which equates to over four-and-a-half years.

Speaking about Shaw before United lost 2-0 to Crystal Palace on Sunday, Amorim explained: "I think he needs to train more, to spend more time with his team-mates playing even like normal, small-sided games, not just working alone.

"He stayed there [at Carrington] to make a different type of work, he's going to get together with the team when we arrive and start from there. When I feel it is the right moment, we will start with some minutes in the games."